Food and drink · Small-town market · Oklahoma
Sit-down restaurants in the Ponca City, OK area
The sit-down restaurants in the Ponca City, OK area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 38 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #396 of 538 scored small-town markets
#7 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Oklahoma
- Listings
- 87
- 41 chain locations (47%)
- Official establishments
- 30
- −14.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $54.7M
- On food away from home · $3,263 a household
- Spending per listing
- $629K
- 5% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 51.9
- 15% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 43,490
- −0.3% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Ponca City area
The site report maps the sit-down restaurants on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of the Ponca City area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Households in the Ponca City area spend about $54.7M a year on food away from home, or $3,263 per household, 20% below the U.S. average. That is about $629K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 5% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 87 sit-down restaurants on map listings in the Ponca City area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 47% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 51.9 for every 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 30 businesses with payroll in the Ponca City area classed as full-service restaurants, down 14.3% from 2019. That is one for every 559 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Ponca City area declined 0.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Ponca City area scores 38 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #396 of 538 scored small-town markets and #7 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Oklahoma.
How the Ponca City area compares
The same measures for Oklahoma and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the sit-down restaurants counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Ponca City area | Oklahoma | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 51.9 | 58.8 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $629K | $599K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 559 | 522 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −14.3% | +3.2% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.3% | +4.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,263 | $3,519 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $58,423 | $65,039 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 38 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 30−14.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 503
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8741 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 83The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Ponca City area, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in the Ponca City area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 43,490−0.3% since 2020
- Households
- 16,776
- Median age
- 39.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 920 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 47
- Median household income
- $58,423+24.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $77,308
- Median home value
- $124,700
- Jobs located here
- 15,500
- Daytime population
- 42,294Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Ponca City area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the sit-down restaurants on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Ponca City area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSit-down restaurants across Oklahoma
Every Oklahoma market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Oklahoma for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Oklahoma, with the Ponca City area marked.
Top small-town markets in Oklahoma
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Ada, OK | 63 | 62 | 41.0 | $821K | +1.2% | #131 of 538 |
| 2Bartlesville, OK | 57 | 102 | 48.7 | $711K | +2.7% | #197 of 538 |
| 3Duncan, OK | 55 | 85 | 48.4 | $698K | +3.4% | #217 of 538 |
| 4Shawnee, OK | 53 | 142 | 52.7 | $623K | +3.5% | #241 of 538 |
| 5Durant, OK | 47 | 115 | 62.5 | $518K | +10.9% | #307 of 538 |
| 6Tahlequah, OK | 39 | 107 | 57.2 | $551K | +4.5% | #388 of 538 |
| 7Ponca City, OK | 38 | 87 | 51.9 | $629K | −0.3% | #396 of 538 |
| 8Muskogee, OK | 37 | 131 | 50.9 | $601K | +0.7% | #404 of 538 |
| 9Miami, OK | 37 | 68 | 57.0 | $512K | +0.7% | #411 of 538 |
| 10Stillwater, OK | 36 | 186 | 57.0 | $555K | +2.8% | #416 of 538 |
Other business types in the Ponca City area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes29
- Sit-down restaurants38
- Fast food and sandwich shops22
- Pizza29
- Coffee shops and cafes39
- Bakeries and dessert shops27
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many sit-down restaurants are in the Ponca City, OK area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 87 sit-down restaurants in the Ponca City area. 41 of them (47%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 30 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 14.3% from 2019.
How much do households in the Ponca City, OK area spend on food away from home?
About $54.7M a year, or $3,263 per household. That is 20% below the U.S. average (an index of 80, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 87 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $629K per restaurant. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 16,776 households in the Ponca City area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Ponca City, OK area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Ponca City area has 51.9 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $629K, 5% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Ponca City area would have about 83, against 87 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 559 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 14.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Ponca City, OK area growing?
Population estimates put the Ponca City area at 43,490 people in 2025, down 0.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 16,776 households. Median household income in the Ponca City area is $58,423, 28% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.8%, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. The Ponca City area scores 38 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #396 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Ponca City area. It maps the sit-down restaurants on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for sit-down restaurants · All 56 business types in the Ponca City area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Ponca City area?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of the Ponca City area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.